Demographics

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The United States Census Bureau is one of the world's largest sources of data and analysis. In fact, the basic enumeration conducted every 10 years is required by the U.S. Constitution (Article 1, section 2). Census Bureau information includes both data from its enumeration conducted every 10 years, as well as various data estimates, analyses and reports. For a summary of the Census Bureau data tools, click here.

An important initiative of the U.S. Census Bureau is the American Community Survey (ACS) which samples 3 million households annually to provide updates to the 10-year enumeration. In general, ACS estimates are period estimates that describe the average characteristics of population and housing over a period of data collection.

One particularly useful census tool is the American Fact Finder which provides relatively easy access to data, and which can be sorted by a wide range of factors, even your own zip code.

There are various public and private services that utilize Census information to provide useful analysis, reports and maps.

The following are some particularly useful sources:

The Social Explorer provides web-based maps illustrating a wide range of demographics down to the census tract level.

City Data.com includes a wealth of information, from statistics to photographs, for the largest U.S. cities and their surrounding areas.